Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Xelqua was the thrid Watcher to be created, and the last. Once, he was a time traveler, but those days have long since passed. Still, he retained traits from that time. Instead of feet, he had talons. His wings were shaped differently, too, but that was never cared about.

He was often found messing with the Seraphim, who he was sure only tolerated him because of his status, but thousands of years ago he would be found on Earth, interacting with humans as if they were equals. Some feared him, but many welcomed him. Xelqua still was unsure if it was because they liked him or because he was a Watcher.

Now, Xelqua was bored. One could only do the same thing so many times before it gets boring, after all. He considered desending to Earth, but he hasn't been back for millennia. Surely humans have evolved since his last visit, right? It would be quite embarrassing for them if not.

His mind wandered through scenarios about ways humans could've changed, but didn't ever actually Watch them. It would ruin the fun if he did! Xelqua imagined such strange things that he knew weren't true, but it kept him entertained.

While he was laughing to himself, the first Watcher, Arche, approached him. With a quizical look, they asked, "What scheme have thou created, Xelqua?"

He was barely able to contain his laughter long enough to respond. "O fair Arche, I have but found new means of keeping myself entertained. Have thou ever attempted to imagine the ways humans could have evolved?" Xelqua answered before giggling to himself again.

Arche had a fond smile on their face as they watched him. "Thou shalt not need to imagine, should thou descend from thy realm," they thoughtfully replied.

"Shalt I descend, all enjoyment wolde be drained from imagining the present day. Beon bored is beon empty," Xelqua complained with a frown.

With a sigh, Arche said, "Thou art woh. Thou cannot conceive the present with an outdated image," they said. "Descend from the End, thy sanity needs it anyway." Arche gave up on formalities at the end, too tired of Xelqua's excuses to humor him. With that, they walked away.

Xelqua remained there for a few moments, but eventually he chose to go back to Earth. He knew where a temple dedicated to him once was, as does every Watcher, and went there.

Instead of a pristine temple brimming with life, a decaying building stood in its place. Vines broke down the marble walls, and debris seemed to fall from it every time he blinked. It was a shame to see something so beautiful so ruined.

He sat down in the lush grass, staring at his former temple. His silk robes pooled under him, and his white wings drooped and spread out on the ground. Everything was still for a few seconds, until Xelqua heard the snap of a branch and a hushed curse.

Instead of turning away from the temple, Xelqua simply opened more of his eyes. What he saw was a scarred human with brown hair and stunning green eyes staring at him. A small smile formed on his face. They hadn't changed too much, apparently.

"Why hello there!" The human greeted. Xelqua chuckled quietly.

"Hello," he replied. Xelqua watched as the human jumped, then put their hand on their heart with an exasperated sigh. "Have I frieghtened thee?" He asked with a teasing tone.

The human raised an eyebrow when he spoke, and Xelqua wasn't quite sure why. "Yes, you have! I was out going for a hike and expected to be alone!" They explained.

Xelqua laughed. "Ūre quite funny. What is thy name?" he asked, to which the human smirked.

"Scar!" The human chirped. It was a fitting name, Xelqua thought. "Would thy grace thee with thy name?" The improper grammar made Xelqua confused.

"Xelqua," he calmly responded.

The human, Scar, muttered his name under their breath. "A fancy name for a fancy guy!" they said with a smile. Xelqua noticed how they mispronounced his name, but he didn't say anything about it.

He smiled back. "If my name is too complex for thou, would another name be preferred?"

Scar shrugged. "That'd be nice, but only if you're comfortable with it!" they honestly replied. Strangely, Xelqua began to trust them at that moment.

"Thou may call me Grian, then," he declared. Scar smiled.

They sat down, looking at Xelqua. After a minute of silence, they said, "So, what are you doing here?" they inquired.

"I could ask thee the same question," Xelqua retorted. He smiled under the miniature wings and hood covering his face.

Scar continued to smile. "Well, I was going on a hike because a friend told me this trail was beautiful!" they happily answered.

Xelqua hummed. "I have yet to venture beyond the temple," he said.

"Did you fly here, then? We're in a clearing with a pretty big building, I would want to see what it was if I was flying by," Scar asked while looking at his wings.

He shook his head. The clouds in the sky moved, letting rays of sunlight fall on him. Xelqua's wings drooped even further in the nostalgic warmth. The End was always cold.

Scar hummed. "Your wings are pretty!" Xelqua almost chirped at the sudden compliment. It was a guilty habit that carried over from back when he was human.

Xelqua cleared his throat. "Thank thou. Thine eyes are stunning," he mumbled. The human giggled, but stopped after a moment.

"You haven't looked at me," they muttered. Xelqua pretended not to hear. "Thanks!" Scar said, louder this time.

With a smile, Xelqua laid back into the grass. It had been warmed by the Sun, and he welcomed the warmth with open arms. He stretched out his many wings, letting them bathe in the light.

Scar stared at him with an unreadable expression. Xelqua stared back at him through eyes blocked by feathers, but they were not a problem to him. Slowly, the human stood up.

Looking between the forest and him, Scar said, "I'm gonna start heading back now, do you want to come?"

Xelqua perked up witha smile as warm as the sunlight beaming down at him. "Of course!" He excitedly replied.

Chapter Text

Scar lead Xelqua, or Grian, through the forest, talking as they made their way through the overgrown trail. Xelqua laughed everytime Scar tripped, but would help him get up.

After a while, Scar fell quite hard and Xelqua offered to carry him. Scar declined, but he picked him up anyway. "Thine ankle is injured," he hissed. His tone left no room for argument.

"So, Grian, why do you talk like that?" Scar asked after a few minutes of silent walking broken only by the sounds of nature.

Xelqua tilted his head, looking down at Scar. "What doth thou mean?" He asked, voice full of genuine confusion.

Scar raised an eyebrow. "Like that! The whole 'thy', and 'thee', and 'thou' thing," he explained.

"I have been taught to speak this way. Is this not common anymore?" he questioned. His wings shifted, worrying that he was too formal. Scar shook his head. Xelqua frowned. "Should I attempt to mimic thy speech?"

He shrugged. "Only if you want to! Whatever makes you comfortable, forest avian!" Scar grinned.

Xelqua almost dropped him out of spite. He was no "forest avian"! He was a Watcher! Instead of dropping him, he waited.

They came across a little clearing, and it was the perfect oppurtonity. Xelqua stopped walking, making Scar toss him a confused look. Slowly, he spread his wings and took off.

Scar made a hilarious combination of noises upon suddenly being so far above ground, and it only became funnier when Xelqua pretended to drop him.

"Shall I fly thou to thy destination?" He asked in a teasing voice. He waited for Scar's reply, who could only shakily nod. It was good enough.

He flew in a straight line, slow as to not startle Scar again. Scar finally peeked his head out of Grian's chest, seeing a large, very large, cluster of buildings. "There! That's where I live," Scar exclaimed.

Immediately he began to fly faster, eliciting a small scream from Scar. He blabbered about something, but Xelqua wasn't listening. As they drew closer, he flew higher, then tucked his wings in and dove down.

Again, Scar started screaming, even after he snapped his wings open and relaxed to a glide. "Scar, please calm down," he begged.

Scar eventually relaxed, and Xelqua started to fly faster. Luckily, he didn't scream again. It only took a few minutes for Xelqua to start circling the colony, or a city, as said by Scar, and find a place to land.

It was on the edge of it all, and he could land there without worrying about his talons snagging on cracks. He noticed the amount of cracks in the material covering the city, and it made him worry. Cracks were something he hated, even when he was mortal. At its peak, his temple had no cracks. Xelqua made sure it was flawless, but also kept his signature touch of something stupid.

His thoughts were interrupted by Scar. "You can put me down now," he murmured. He continued to carry him, despite his protests. Scar suddenly rolled out of Xelqua's arms, and he let out an alarmed gasp.

"Scar! Are you okay?" He asked, anxiously looking over him to make sure he didn't get scraped. Scar pushed the avian away by his head, ruffling the feathers of the small wings that covered his eyes.

Scar sat up, giggling as he watched Xelqua fix the disheveled wings. "I'm fine, forest avian! Except my ankle, but I'll just get a brace for it later," he replied. Standing up, he stumbled and Xelqua immediately supported him.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. "Er, Scar?" It was a masculine voice, with an accent similar to his own. Xelqua spun around, almost knocking down Scar in the process.

The man, he assumed, was clad in green armor and held a bag containing food. His helmet was grey with a purple visor, making it hard to see his face. It was a bit annoying, but he could make out his face.

"Why hello, X!" Scar stammered, voice an octave higher than usual.

X sighed. "What'd you do this time? And why do you have a random person with you?" He said, reminding Xelqua of a tired dad. Or Arche, they often sounded like that when with him.

Scar rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't do anything! All I did was go on a hike, and met Grian!" he answered, sounding a bit more confident. Xelqua turned his head to look at him, forgetting that he told him his player name.

He looked down at Scar's ankle. "Do you need me to get you over to Doc?"

"Nope, I can make it myself! Or I could ask G to carry me, he flew with me in his arms from a big temple in the forest!" Scar patted Xelqua on the back, and he hit him with his wing. Xisuma looked at them strangely.

X shook his head, sighing. Turning his attention to Xelqua, he said, "I'm Xisuma, you're Grian, I assume?" He politely asked.

Xelqua nodded. "Nice to meet th- you, X-I-Suma," he teased. Of course, he could say it normally, but where's the fun in that?

"Nice to meet you, too, Gee-ar-eyian!" Xisuma happily replied. Both of them were obviously trying to hold back their laughter. "I'll be off now, see you two later!" He waved and began to walk away.

As soon as Xisuma walked away, the avian scooped Scar into his arms. "Grian!" he yelped, making Xelqua laugh.

Stretching his wings, he asked, "Where must I take thee in order to get a... brace?" Scar sighed.

"G, I'll be fine, I doubt it's that serious! And people would stare if you walked into town looking all fancy and carrying me like this," Scar responded.

He tilted his head, confused. "Why?"

"You'd draw attention, and I don't want to deal with everyone after they see me being carried by you," Scar explained.

Xelqua frowned. "Am I not allowed to carry thee?"

Shaking his head, Scar said, "They would think we're dating, G. You're carrying me bridal style."

The avian dropped him immediately. Scar laughed as he laid on the ground. "Thou shalt walk on thine own," he scoffed.

"Sorry, sorry! It's true, I would never hear the end of it. How would you feel if you saw a stranger carrying your friend as if they were star crossed lovers?" Scar joked.

He shook his head, changing the topic. "Thou said that I would draw attention because of my attire. Tell me where I can find a solution to this problem," the avian demanded.

Scar stood up, beckoning for Xelqua to follow him as he limped into town. Just as predicted, people stared. Some called out to Scar, and he would wave and keep walking.

Eventually, they reached their destination. Scar opened the door, looking at Xelqua and motioning for him to enter.

It was filled with beautiful clothes, woven with bright and dull colors. Xelqua was drawn to a light green tunic, that looked too similar to the one he wore back when he was mortal, but noticed a red sweater and all but ran to it.

He loved red almost as much as he loved flying. Scar smiled fondly as he obsessed over the wonderful sweater, and walked away momentarily. The man came back with black pants that looked like they fit Xelqua.

Scar took the sweater and the pants, giving a woman behind a counter a few coins then dragging Xelqua out the door. He spread and closed his wings impatiently behind him, trying to take the sweater from Scar's hands. Everytime he got close to grabbing it, Scar would move it out of his reach.

Xelqua ended up perched on Scar's shoulders, holding the red sweater. He was careful to not hurt him with his talons, but still be able to sit without falling.

He bought various foods with Xelqua still perched on his shoulders, introducing him to any shopkeepers that asked. Xelqua watched everyone from his spot, observing their mannerisms and dialects. After what felt like hours, Scar walked into a large building. "G, you gotta get off my shoulders now," he muttered.

Begrudgingly, he jumped down, making sure to nick Scar with his talons. He yelped, making Xelqua laugh. Secretly, he made sure the cut wasn't too deep. Scar unlocked the door with a silver key, and they were immediately greeted by a cat meowing at them. It was grey and white, and clearly loved Scar. It practically threw itself against his legs, meowing as it did so. "I know Jellie, I know!" Scar happily said. "I have to get inside first," he told the cat, who let out an annoyed meow and moved over to Xelqua. It jumped onto him, but he caught it before it could puncture his robes. Xelqua held it close to his chest, gently petting it as he walked inside.

Chapter Text

Xelqua was petting Jellie, who was currently sitting peacefully on his lap. He ignored Scar, who was saying something while walking about, in favor of continuing to pet Jellie. She pawed at his feathers, and he moved his wings away. If he got a feather ripped out, he would probably cry.

Only when running water could be heard from another room did Xelqua notice Scar's absense. If he remembered correctly, he was taking a shower. He learned of the concept back when he timetraveled, only remembering it because of how nice it felt on his wings.

He laid back on the comfortable couch, wings expanding and knocking something off of a nearby table. Jellie and Xelqua laid to together silently, the only noise in the house being running water. If Xelqua listened hard enough, he could hear Scar singing.

Looking at the counter, he saw his new clothes. He forgot about them. Gently, he picked up Jellie and moved her. Xelqua walked over and picked up the red sweater, frowning when he noticed the lack of holes for his wings. He would have to cut it later.

Xelqua quickly undressed and put on the pants, stopping to cut the sweater. It was a bit messy, but he could live with it. It wasn't the end of the world.

He slipped it on, a small trill rising in his throat at the soft material. It felt so different from the silk of his robes, but it felt much like something he would wear back then. The only thing missing was the necklace, he mused.

Quickly returning to the couch, he laid down, and Jellie started sniffing his sweater. She laid on his chest, starting to purr. He was petting her when the door handle started to move, accompanied by someone yelling.

Xelqua quickly stood, Jellie in his arms. His fluffed up wings were snapped open behind him, white feathers falling on the floor with the sudden motion. He couldn't make out what was being said over the sound of water. It stopped, but in his panic he didn't notice.

The door burst open, revealing a frustrated creeper, and maybe goat, hybrid. "Scar, I'm-" The German hybrid cut himself off upon seeing Xelqua, who was slowly opening the wings covering his face, purple light slowly being revealed. Even the eyes on his wings were slowly being opened. He's been told that they were terrifying, but the people who told him were no longer living. Silently, he hoped people still thought so.

He couldn't even open his mouth to say anything when Scar stumbled in, slipping with his still wet feet. Xelqua snapped his eyes and smaller wings closed, almost laughing when he saw the bewildered look on the man's face.

"Oh, so now you're going to act innocent!" the creeper hybrid complained, a small hiss coming from him. Xelqua smiled.

"I don't know what th- you're talking about," he simply replied while petting Jellie. The man grumbled, then turned his attention to Scar.

"Scar. We need to talk," he said. Scar looked like a guilty child as he beckoned him into another room. Once they were gone, Xelqua sat back down on the couch, petting Jellie while he waited for themd to return.

Of course, Xelqua could listen to what they were saying, but it felt like he would be intruding. What he could hear without "cheating", in his words, was two completely different things. At first, they were talking about him, then it was something about a machine.

They returned around ten minutes later, Scar looking sheepish and the creeper looking less upset. Scar sat down on another part of the couch, and the creeper sat down near by. He looked at Xelqua with an unreadable expression, making him nervous.

Scar cleared his throat. "So, G, this is Doc," he said as he gestured to the creeper-goat hybrid. "Doc this is Grian, I met him in a forest," Scar continued.

Doc looked at Scar, a mixture of emotions plastered on his face. "You met a random avian in a forest and decided to take them into your house?"

"Yep! G flew me over after I fell and messed up my ankle again," Scar happily answered. Doc sighed.

"Sometimes I wonder how you're still alive," he muttered. Looking at Xelqua, he said, "Why were your eyes glowing earlier?" Doc asked skeptically.

Xelqua smiled. "I don't know what you mean," he replied, stumbling over "you". It only made Doc frown even more.

He crossed his arms. "Yes, you do! And there were eyes on your wings, I know what I saw."

"I'm just a random avian, like you said," Xelqua defended.

Doc grumbled. "Fine, if you're not gonna explain the glowing eyes, will you at least explain the eyes on your wings?" He complained.

Tilting his head, Xelqua said, "What eyes?" Doc crossed his arms, standing up.

"I'm leaving," he muttered. Xelqua suppressed a laugh.

"Bye, Doc!" Scar called out. Xelqua waved goodbye. Turning to the avian, Scar asked, "Was he serious about the glowing eyes and stuff?" he asked while fiddling with his hands.

Xelqua shook his head. "He was probably just seeing things."

Chapter Text

Xelqua awoke first, but fell alsleep again out of boredom. When Scar awoke, he was sprawled out with half of his body on the couch and the other on the floor, while Jellie was playing with his wings. His laughter alone woke him up.

The crick in his neck made him groan, and he was sure it was going to be horrible later. "Are you alright?" He heard Scar ask between laughs, and he grumbled in response.

After he calmed down, Scar sat down on the couch. "I was thinking of heading to the library, I've got nothing to do and found an old book that I need to return. Wanna come?" Scar offered with a smile.

Xelqua smiled. "Sure!" He happily chirped, wings fluttering behind him. It was the perfect opportunity to see if there was anything about him! Maybe his friends wrote something about him.

When they were alive.

When he still went down to see the Evolutionists.

Before Taurtis died.

He felt his wings droop behind him, and his smile faltered. Scar cast him a concerned glance, saying something that Xelqua didn't listen to.

Xelqua was forced out of his thoughts by something touching him. "Hey, you okay?" Scar asked with his hand on his.

"Yeah, lets go." Xelqua stood up, face a cold neutral. The wings on his face pressed tightly against his eyes, soaking up any tears that would have fallen.

Scar took the lead, talking as he walked to the library. Xelqua would occassionally comment, but nothing more than that. A man with teal hair walked up to Scar, saying something that Xelqua didn't care enough to pay attention to.

Eventually, they reached the library, and they split up. Xelqua looked for books on mythology, assuming that books including him would be there if they existed. His wings fluttered as he imagined all the things that his old friends might have written about him.

Would they mention his pranks? Or would they talk about all the textures he hated on certain materials? Maybe both, or maybe even something else entirely.

As he was scanning the shelves, a gasp came from someone behind him. He didn't pay attention to them until he heard them speak to him. "Excuse me, but are you a hybrid?" They excitedly asked.

He was about to turn around, but realized Scar wasn't here, so he just opened a pair of eyes on his wings. Before he could even speak, the person yelped, and he laughed as they fell.

Closing his eyes and actually facing the stranger calmed them down. They scrambled to stand up, and Xelqua watched them with an amused smile, hand clasped in front of him.

"I, uh, guess that answers my question," they breathlessly whispered. "I'm Sparrow, a human. What are you?" the human asked.

Xelqua hummed. "I'm.. Grian, an avian," Xelqua decided. "Don't mind the eyes, it's a long story," he added quickly.

Sparrow smiled nervously. "Alright, uh, do you have powers?"

Nodding, Xelqua said, "I do. As you saw, I've got the eyes all over me, and my wings. I've got some freaky stuff going on with my eyes, but I'm not gonna show you."

"That's so cool!" Sparrow exclaimed with a gasp. "Can I take a picture with you?" They asked with a bright smile.

Xelqua smiled back. "Sure! I've got time," he replied. Sparrow set down a device on the table in front of them, then smiled at it. He did the same, but spread out his wings behind him. A click came from the device after a second or two, and Sparrow went to grab it.

After looking at it, Sparrow grinned. "Thanks! Anyway, what're you looking for?"

"A book on the Watchers, more specifically Xelqua. I was at an old temple a few days ago and found out it was dedicated to him," Xelqua answered. It wasn't a complete lie.

Sparrow thought for a moment. "I can't say I've heard of them, but I'm also not from here. My plane crashed nearby," they admitted.

"That's terrible!" Xelqua responded, despite not knowing what a plane was. He returned to scanning the shelves, freezing when he saw the same symbol that once was on his necklace. Well, was his necklace. It disappeared after he became a Watcher.  He took it from its place on the shelf, taking out a feather that miraculously hasn't fallen out yet and stuck it between the two books that surrounded it.

"Is that the book you were looking for?" Sparrow asked. He nodded and sat down, flipping through the book until he found the page about him. "Do you mind if I read it with you? You've made me curious about this Xelqua guy," the human said.

"I don't mind," Xelqua replied. It took him a moment to recognize the handwriting after so long, but eventually he recognized it as Taurtis'. The thought of Taurtis made his heart sink, and he pressed the wings tight to his face again. Sparrow cast him a concerned glance, but said nothing.

It was written just as he expected. Even after thousands off years, the warmth in the words could still be felt. The teasing tone as it talked about how he created tunnels into his friend's houses and the like made him cry, but the wings luckily soaked it up.

Sparrow read next to him silently. "Sounds like Xelqua was a fun guy," they whispered. They reached to flip the page, but stopped to make sure Xelqua was done reading. He gave a short nod and he flipped it. A drawing was on the next page, and he immediately knew Taurtis didn't draw it. Taurtis was many things, but an artist was not one of them. He was never that interested in art, and failed to recognize who drew it.

"Wow," Sparrow whispered beside him. After inspecting it for a moment, they looked between him and the drawing. "Looks like you," they said.

He absently murmured a response, then continued reading. This time, it was Pearl's handwriting. His sister. Xelqua's heart melted at all the fond memories, and a warm smile fell on his face.

She wrote just as he expected her to. Pearl's notes were of fond memories and jokes about what the Watchers used to call him. "The Watchers weren't kidding when they called him an 'Empire of Explosion'," one said. A soft laugh escaped from his lips. " G Xelqua's wings are nowhere near as big as mine," said another. Another person, probably Tim, wrote "LIAR!" next to it. "You're just mad that your wings are the smallest out of us," Pearl wrote in response.

"They seemed like good friends," Sparrow muttered.

"Yeah. They were," Xelqua said. Sparrow cast him a confused glance. "Probably, I mean," he hastily added.

He flipped the page, and it was about the Evolutionists. Xelqua's- No, Grian's Evolutionists. They were only his when he was mortal. A symbol laid above the text explaining them, a broken rectangle with two small detached squares in the corners.

Absent mindedly, he rubbed the spot where his necklace should've laid. Sparrow's eyes flicked over to his hand, but he didn't notice. A small doodle was in the corner, of a person that totally wasn't Xelqua, or more accurately, Grian, making the former Evolutionist symbol over their eye. The Watchers actually created the symbol, but the Evolutionists used it. It wa on their necklaces, after all. The drawing was labeled the "Evolutionist salute".

More notes from various Evolutionists scattered the page, some of which had the letter G scratched out and replaced with Xelqua. Someone wrote Grian, but it was blacked out and another Evolutionist wrote "Hey, you can't call him that anymore! The Watchers are gonna smite us!" underneath.

He went to flip the page, but stopped for two reasons. The first was that through the thin paper, he saw his name, not Xelqua, on the other page. The second was that Scar called out to him.

"G! You done?" Scar asked while walking over to him. He perked up, letting the page fall back onto the side that didn't expose him.

"Yeah," he said while standing up. Scar started to walk off, and Xelqua went to follow. He stopped because he heard Sparrow flip the page. Turning to face him, he saw the human staring right at him. Without a word, he made the symbol over his eye and left.

Chapter Text

As they left the building, Xelqua wouldn't stop giggling. "What're you laughing about?" Scar asked.

He was barely able to stop laughing long enough to form a lie. "The, uh, book we were reading, had something weird that I didn't tell him about," Xelqua lied. It wasn't weird, it was just him! But now that he thought about it, they definitely wrote something embarrassing about him.

Scar shrugged, and kept walking. "What was it about?" he asked without looking at Xelqua.

"It was about old Gods," Xelqua answered. He didn't mention the Evolutionists. Not that he was ashamed of them, he would never! They're his family. Or they were, at least. Either way, they pained him to think about.

A smile formed on Scar's face. "Speaking of Gods, when I first met you, I thought you were one. I was also a tipsy, because I grabbed the wrong bottle before leaving," he admitted sheepishly.

Xelqua laughed, struggling to form words. "You were drunk in a forest?" Scar nodded, hiding his face. He was about to say something but was interrupted.

"Grian! Grian! I'm sorry, but I need to ask you something!" Sparrow jogged up to him, holding the book.

"About what?" Xelqua asked, but knew what Sparrow was going to ask.

"The book," he simply replied.

It was hard for Xelqua to not start laughing right there, but he managed. "Oh, sure!" He not-so-subtly dragged Sparrow off to the side, and waited for him to start talkiing.

After a moment, Sparrow started asking him questions so fast he couldn't keep up. He tried his best to answer, but fell silent when his questions started to focus on the Evolutionists.

"I.. don't feel like answering more," he said as his wings statrted to droop. Sparrow was confused, but let him walk away.

Scar was talking with someone when he came back. He had black hair and a comically large moustache, along with a matching black suit. A red tie was hanging around his neck, almost the exact same shade as his eyes.

"Oh! Are you Grian?" the man asked. Xelqua froze. Was he? No, of course he was! Sure, they made him change his name, but he was still Grian! He was still the same person!

His thoughts were interrupted by Scar tapping his shoulder. He gave him a questioning look, and Xelqua's wings were almost touching the ground at this point. "Are you okay?" Scar gently whispered.

"Yeah." It was a lie, and they both knew it. "Sorry 'bout that, got lost in thought," Xelqua said to both of them. That wasn't a lie, at least.

The moustached man smiled nervously. "It's alright! I'm Mumbo, by the way. Scar was just t-" he cut himself off when Scar glared at him. Xelqua shuffled uncomfortably.

He wanted to fly away and clear his mind, but another person walked up to them. The person was shorter than him, and had big eyes and a wide smile. They talked really loud.

It was all too much. There were too many people, and too many noises. Faintly, he heard someone call his name. Whoever it was, they sounded familiar.

Something touched his wing, and he reached his breaking point. Xelqua snapped his wings open and took off, not caring about the people calling his name. He wouldn't be gone for long, he was just trying to take a little break!

Xelqua flew to the forest, back to his temple. Back to his only safe place. It still calmed him down, even after all this time.

Slowly, he went inside. His talons caught on the cracks in the once-pristine marble, but he couldn't care less about those right now. He stared at the carvings made by his former friends, tears welling in his eyes.

This time, Xelqua let them fall. The small wings moved out of his way, purple light filling the room. It dimmed at his will.

For a while, the only sounds in the temple was muffled sobs and ruffling feathers. He slowly sat dowm, staring at a carving of him and the Evolutionists, with the Watchers above them, their eyes fixed on him. The detail was amazing, yet he couldn't remember who made it. It was probably a team effort. He swiped away the many layers of dust, now able to see his own reflection in the polished marble.

Xelqua sat on the cold marble floor, looking at his reflection. It didn't look like him. Did he look like himself? He wasn't sure. What did he look like? "Who are you?" Grian whispered, staring blankly at the God trapped in the marble. It didn't answer.

All of this was too confusing. Grian wasn't sure why he agreed to come back. He knew his friends wouldn't be here. They couldn't.

The thought pained him, no matter how true it was. Knowing that the only family he ever had were dead made him wish he joined them, but he remained sitting in that same spot while staring at the God. It looked nothing like him.

Even with the grounding coldness of the marble, he felt like he wasn't in his own body. Like he was a spectator, observing the world around him. He couldn't tell if it was a comforting thought or not.

Grian sat there for almost an hour, he thought, until the sound of heavy footsteps grew closer. There were too many to just be Scar, but he couldn't think of anyone else who would come looking for him. He brought the small wings over his eyes once again.

"Grian? You in here?" Scar called out as he slowly made his way inside.

"Yeah," he responded with a hoarse voice. Maybe he's been here for longer than he thought.

Scar let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, I've been so worried. I'm sorry for making you upset," he said gently.

Grian shook his head. "No, it was more than just you. It was just too much for me, that's all."

"If you say so," Scar mumbled. "Would you be comfortable telling me what made you upset?" he asked.

He took a deep breath, cringing at the feeling of cold air rubbing against his raw throat. "Everything was loud, and I was already in a bad mood because of something Sparrow asled, then something touched my wing. It was overwhelming, so I left," Grian answered truthfully.

"Oh, G, I'm so sorry!" Someone exclaimed as they rushed into the temple. No, this wasn't real. It couldn't be. She was dead.

Chapter Text

Sparrow originally came to the library to see if there were any books about hybrids, or more accurately, how to become a hybrid. He gasped as his search was interrupted when he saw an avian with the most stunning wings he had ever seen. Maybe it would know how he could gain powers!

He happily walked over to the avian, smiling. It was in the mythology section, and was clearly looking for something specific. Sparrow didn't care too much, but it did pique his interest a bit.

"Excuse me, but are you a hybrid?" He excitedly asked.

The avian stood there for a moment, then opened a pair of eyes on its wings. Sparrow yelped and fell, a small frown forming on his face when it started laughing at him.

It closed its eyes and actually turned to look at him, and he calmed down. He shakily stood up, and the avian looked at him with an amused smile, hands clasped in front of him.

"I, uh, guess that answers my question," he muttered. "I'm Sparrow, a human. What are you?" he asked politely. Or he hoped it was polite, at least.

The avian quietly hummed. "I'm Grian, an avian," it answered. There was a slight pause before he said his name, as if he was unsure of his name. "Don't mind the eyes, it's a long story," he added.

Sparrow smiled nervously. "Alright, uh, do you have powers?"

Nodding, Grian said, "I do. As you saw, I've got the eyes all over me, and my wings. I've got some freaky stuff going on with my eyes, but I'm not gonna show you."

"That's so cool!" Sparrow exclaimed with a gasp. "Can I take a picture with you?" He asked with a smile.

Grian smiled back. "Sure! I've got time," he replied. Sparrow set down his camera on the table in front of them, then smiled at it. Grian spread his wings, as if flexing them. A click came from the camera after a moment, and Sparrow went to grab it.

He observed it, making sure everything looked good. Once he was sure it looked nice, he smiled and looked back up at Grian. "Thanks! Anyway, what're you looking for?"

"A book on the Watchers, more specifically Xelqua. I was at an old temple a few days ago and found out it was dedicated to him," Grian answered. Something seemed wrong about the statement, but Sparrow thought nothing of it.

He racked his brain, trying to think of any times he's heard of them. "I can't say I've heard of them, but I'm also not from here. My plane crashed nearby," he sheepishly said.

"That's terrible!" Grian responded, sadness and confusion written on his face. The avian returned to scanning the shelves, freezing at a certain book. Sparrow smiled, glad that Grian might've found the book he was looking for. Grian took the worn leather book from its place on the dusty shelf, plucking out a feather and sticking it between the two books that formerly stood on either side of the book.

"Is that the book you were looking for?" Sparrow asked. The avian nodded and sat down, flipping through the book until he stopped on a page. "Do you mind if I read it with you? You've made me curious about this Xelqua guy," he admitted.

"I don't mind," Grian replied. Gears turned in Grian's mind as he stared down at the slightly yellow page, then something flashed on of his face; recognition. The avian pressed his smaller wings up to his face again. Sparrow cast him a concerned glance, but chose to stay silent.

Sparrow read next to him silently. "Sounds like Xelqua was a fun guy," he murmured. He reached to flip the page, but stopped to make sure Grian was done reading. He gave a short nod and he flipped it.

A beautiful drawing of an angelic being laid on the page, a being with many wings and way too many eyes. They all looked right at him, giving an unsettling feeling. Still, Sparrow could tell that it was holy.

"Wow," Sparrow whispered as he took it all in. After inspecting it for a moment, he looked between Grian and the drawing. "Looks like you," he said.

Grian murmured something that he couldn't make out, then continued reading. The writing style changed. It was neater, and didn't looked as rushed.

The person wrote about things that didn't seem very.. holy. "The Watchers weren't kidding when they called him an 'Empire of Explosion'," one of the messages said. A quiet chuckle came from beside him. "G Xelqua's wings are nowhere near as big as mine," said another. Another person wrote "LIAR!" next to it. "You're just mad that your wings are tiny," the original writer wrote in response.

Why would a god be exploding things?

"They seemed like good friends," Sparrow muttered.

"Yeah. They were," Grian said. Sparrow looked at him. Why was he acting like he knew them? "Probably, I mean," he quickly added.

Grian flipped the page, and his wings twitched. The words "EVOLUTIONISTS" were written at the top of the page. A symbol laid above the text explaining them, a broken rectangle with two small detached squares in the corners. It looked like a portal.

Grian rubbed his neck. Sparrow looked at him again. Why was he acting so weird? He looked back at the page. Another, lees intricate drawing was in the corner, of a person that looked a bit like Grian making the symbol from befote over their eye. The drawing was labeled the "Evolutionist salute".

More notes from many different people littered the page, some of which had the letter G scratched out and replaced with Xelqua. Someone wrote something, likely a name, but it was blacked out and another person wrote "Hey, you can't call him that anymore! The Watchers are gonna smite us!" underneath.

Grian was about to flip the page again, but froze. He couldn't see through the paper because Grian's hand blocked it. Then, someone spoke to the avian.

"G! You done?" A tall man with long brown hair asked while walking over to him. Grian looked up, the paper falling onto the page they were on before Grian went to turn it.

"Yeah," the avian said while standing up. The two started to walk away, a few feet betwren them since Grian was walking much slower. Sparrow flipped the page, and both of them froze. When he looked up, Grian- no, Xelqua was looking back at him with a knowing smile. Wordlessly, the Watcher made the Evolutionist salute over his eyes then disappeared.

What just happened?

Chapter Text

The arms of a dead woman enveloped Grian in a tight hug, whispering something into his ear. His howling thoughts blocked out her voice, and for a moment he wondered if she was even saying anything.

Still, he desperately clung onto her, grabbing the back of her shirt in tight fists. He let himself cry this one time. Grian's head wings drew back to reveal his eyes as he enveloped them with his larger wings.

He burrowed his head into her shoulder, calming down after a while. Even though Grian would've loved to catch up with his sister, he fell asleep in her arms. Crying was exhausting.

———

Grian awoke in a warm room, laying face down on a couch.

It was cozy.

People were softly speaking, as if not to wake him.

He was so comfortable. He would stay like this forever if he could.

The voices dwindled to silence.

"Grian, are you going to sleep all day?" asked a woman in a teasing tone.

"Mh. . Let me sleep," he grumbled in reply, burying his face into a pillow. His wings stretched out behind him, hitting someone and causing them to yelp.

The man laughed. "Watch out with those!"

He finally let his eyes open. Not all of them, though. Just his 'normal' ones. People seemed to get nervous when he had most of them open.

"Yeah, yeah" he dismissively responded, slowly sitting up. Scar cracked a grin, and Pearl covered her mouth to muffle her soft giggles. Grian finally took a good look at the people before him.

It was likely early, but not too early. Golden beams of light fell through the clear windows between the half-drawn curtains, lighting up their faces and the dust in the air. Scar and Pearl looked more angelic than Grian himself in such lighting. Scar's hypnotic green eyes sparkled like the finest of jewels in the rays of the early Sun. His scarred skin looked so perfect yet so flawed, creating a beautiful sight to behold.

He was staring at Scar. The Watcher shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"A-Anyway, what were you guys talking about?" Grian suddenly asked. Pearl had a strange smirk on her face as she looked at him.

Scar opened his mouth to speak, but Pearl answered before him. "Nothing, we were just catching up," she answered, her smirk softening into a gentle smile.

"Oh, alright," Grian responded, his gaze lingering on Scar for a second or two before he sluggishly stood up. "I'm gonna go take a shower," he murmured before walking off to the bathroom.

Chapter Text

salutations gang! i very much doubt that anyone will bother reading this, but i was considering something. i've gotten into hc again (to my own surprise), and i also missed writing in old emglish. but also, i hate the writing and couldn't even make it through the first two paragraphs without cringing. and i need to reread what i wrote if i want to add a new chapter. . . . . ..... . .

so.

would anyone bother rereading this if i rewrote it? considering it's been years since i last seriously wrote anything and i know more about. writing in general, really, and i've changed so much. i feel i would be able to write something much better now

i may work on rewriting my other fic first, cause i have more ideas on changes to it, but still. i think the concept for this wasnt,, horrible?? i guess??? but i already know that if literally nobody reads it i'll end up losing motivation, and i refuse to tell ANYONE irl that i write fanfiction ❤️

ok yap sesh over, peace out!